Foldable leisure chair

ABSTRACT

A foldable leisure chair has two side frames, a backrest unit connected to the side frames, and two armrest members connected respectively to the side frames. Each armrest member has a pivot portion connected pivotally to a corresponding side frame, an armrest portion extending from an end of the pivot portion, an extending portion extending from an opposite end of the pivot portion, and an abutment portion extending from the extending portion and abutting against a bottom side of the corresponding side frame. Each armrest member is pivotable between an unfolded position, where the armrest portion thereof is in front of the extending and abutment portions and is away from the corresponding side frame, and a folded position, where the armrest portion thereof is behind the extending and abutment portions and is close to the corresponding side frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a leisure chair, more particularly to a foldable leisure chair having armrest members that are operable between unfolded and folded positions.

2. Description of the Related Art

As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional foldable leisure chair comprises a seat unit 11, a backrest unit 12 connected to a rear end of the seat unit 11 and pivotable to a desired angular position relative to the seat unit 11, and an armrest unit 13 coupled to the seat unit 11. The seat unit 11 includes a base frame 111. The armrest unit 13 includes a pair of armrest members 131 connected respectively to left and right sides of the base frame 111. Each of the armrest members 131 includes a pair of supporting rods 132 and a top rod 133. The supporting rods 132 are spaced apart from each other in a front-rear direction. Each of the supporting rods 132 has a bottom end portion coupled pivotally to the base frame 111, and a top end portion coupled pivotally to the top rod 133, such that the supporting rods 132 cooperate with the top rod 133 and the base frame 111 to form a parallelogram four-bar linkage. When the backrest unit 12 is positioned at the desired angular position relative to the seat unit 11, each of the armrest members 131 can be pivoted to an unfolded position, where the supporting rods 132 extend upwardly and rearwardly from the base frame 111, and where the top rod 133 is away from the base frame 111. Referring to FIG. 2, after use, when the backrest unit 12 is pivoted relative to the seat unit 11 to a position level with the seat unit 11, each of the armrest members 131 can be pushed forwardly to pivot the supporting rods 132 of a corresponding one of the armrest members 131 relative to the base frame 111 until the top rod 133 of the corresponding one of the armrest members 131 moves to a folded position close to the base frame 111.

However, due to the plurality of pivot joints between the top end portions of the supporting rods 132 and the top rod 133 of each of the armrest members 131, and between the bottom end portions of the supporting rods 132 of each of the armrest members 131 and the base frame 111, the conventional foldable leisure chair has a relatively complicated structure and a relatively high manufacturing cost. Moreover, to ensure that the armrest members 131 can be stably and firmly positioned relative to the base frame 111 when at the unfolded position, each of the top rods 133 is provided with a pair of stop members 134 (see FIG. 1) for limiting the supporting rods 132 at a predetermined inclination angle, thereby further increasing the structural complexity and the manufacturing cost of this conventional foldable leisure chair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a foldable leisure chair that has a relatively simple structure and that is relatively easy to manufacture.

Accordingly, a foldable leisure chair of the present invention comprises a seat unit including a pair of side frames that are spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction, a backrest unit connected to the side frames of the seat unit, and an armrest unit including a pair of armrest members that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. A left one of the armrest members is connected to a left side of a left one of the side frames and is pivotable relative to the left one of the side frames about an axis that is transverse to the left one of the side frames. A right one of the armrest members is connected to a right side of a right one of the side frames and is pivotable relative to the right one of the side frames about the axis. Each of the armrest members has a pivot portion that is connected pivotally to a corresponding one of the side frames, an armrest portion that extends from an end of the pivot portion, an extending portion that extends from an opposite end of the pivot portion, and an abutment portion that extends from the extending portion in a direction parallel to the axis, and that abuts against a bottom side of the corresponding one of the side frames. Each of the armrest members is pivotable about the axis relative to the corresponding one of the side frames between an unfolded position, where the armrest portion thereof is held in front of the extending and abutment portions and is away from the corresponding one of the side frames, and a folded position, where the armrest portion thereof is held behind the extending and abutment portions and is close to the corresponding one of the side frames.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional foldable leisure chair, illustrating an armrest member at an unfolded position;

FIG. 2 is another side view of the conventional foldable leisure chair, illustrating the armrest member at a folded position;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a first preferred embodiment of a foldable leisure chair according to the invention, illustrating an armrest member at an unfolded position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary partly exploded perspective view of the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 is another side view of the first preferred embodiment, illustrating the armrest member at a folded position; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the foldable leisure chair according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the first preferred embodiment of a foldable leisure chair according to the present invention comprises a seat unit 2, a backrest unit 3, and an armrest unit 4.

The seat unit 2 includes a pair of side frames 21 (only one is visible) that are spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction, a plurality of bridging rods 22 that extend horizontally and that interconnect the side frames 21, and a seat member 23 that is disposed between the side frames 21 and over the bridging rods 22. Each of the side frames 21 has a rail segment 211, a front leg segment 212 extending forwardly and downwardly from a front end of the rail segment 211 to the ground, and a rear leg segment 213 segment extending rearwardly and downwardly from a rear end of the rail segment 211 to the ground, such that the rail segment 211 is propped by the front leg segment 212 and the rear leg segment 213 to be away from the ground.

The backrest unit 3 includes an inverted U-shaped backrest frame 31 disposed behind the seat member 23 of the seat unit 2 and having left and right sides that are connected pivotally and respectively to the side frames 21, a backrest member 32 mounted on the backrest frame 31, and a pivot shaft unit 33 connecting pivotally the left and right sides of the backrest frame 31 to the side frames 21, respectively, so that the backrest frame 31 and the backrest member 33 are pivotable relative to the side frames 21. In this embodiment, the backrest unit 3 further includes a pair of support mechanisms 34, each of which is disposed between a respective one of the left and right sides of the backrest frame 31 and a corresponding one of the side frames 21 for maintaining the backrest frame 31 at a desired tilt position (see FIG. 3) relative to the side frames 21. Since the feature of this invention does not reside in the specific configuration of the backrest unit 3, which is known in the art, further details of the same are omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

The armrest unit 4 includes a pair of armrest members 41 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and that are disposed in a configuration in which a left one of the armrest members 41 is connected to a left side of a left one of the side frames 21 and is pivotable relative to the left one of the side frames 21 about an axis (L) (see FIG. 4) that is transverse to the left one of the side frames 21, and a right one of the armrest members 41 is connected to a right side of a right one of the side frames 21 and is pivotable relative to the right one of the side frames 21 about the axis (L). Each of the armrest members 41 has a pivot portion 411 that is connected pivotally to the rail segment 211 of a corresponding one of the side frames 21, an armrest portion 412 that extends from an end of the pivot portion 411, an extending portion 413 that extends from an opposite end of the pivot portion 411, an abutment portion 414 that extends from the extending portion 413 in a direction parallel to the axis (L), and that abuts removably against a bottom side of the rail segment 211 of the corresponding one of the side frames 21, and a sleeve 415 that is connected fixedly to the pivot portion 411, that extends along the axis (L), and that has inner and outer open ends proximate to and distal from the corresponding one of the side frames 21, respectively. The armrest unit 4 further includes a pair of pivot rods 42 that extend respectively from the rail segments 211 of the side frames 21 along the axis (L), and that extend respectively into the sleeves 415 of the armrest members 41, a pair of washers 43 that abut respectively against the outer open ends of the sleeves 415, and a pair of screws 44 that extend respectively through the washers 43 and that engage threadedly and respectively the pivot rods 42. Accordingly, the pivot portions 411 of the armrest members 41 are connected pivotally and respectively to the rail segments 211 of the side frames 21. Each of the armrest members 41 is pivotable about the axis (L) relative to the corresponding one of the side frames 21 between an unfolded position (see FIG. 3), where the armrest portion 412 thereof is held in front of the extending and abutment portions 413, 414 and is away from the corresponding one of the side frames 21, and a folded position (see FIG. 6), where the armrest portion 412 thereof is held behind the extending and abutment portions 413, 414 and is close to the corresponding one of the side frames 21. It should be noted that, in other embodiments of this invention, each of the pivot rods 42 and the corresponding one of the screws 44 may be formed integrally into a screw component that extends through the corresponding one of the washers 43 and the sleeve 415 of a corresponding one of the armrest members 41, and that extends threadedly into the rail segment 211 of a corresponding one of the side frames 21.

In this embodiment, each of the armrest members 41 is generally S-shaped. The armrest portion 412 of each of the armrest members 41 has an intermediate segment 4121 extending upwardly and forwardly from the end of the pivot portion 411, and a distal segment 4122 extending horizontally from a distal end of the intermediate segment 4121 when the corresponding one of the armrest members 41 is at the unfolded position. The extending portion 413 of each of the armrest members 41 extends downwardly and rearwardly from the opposite end of the pivot portion 411 when the corresponding one of the armrest members 41 is at the unfolded position. The abutment portion 414 of each of the armrest members 41 extends from a distal end of the extending portion 413 of the corresponding one of the armrest members 41 in a direction parallel to the axis (L) and abuts removably against a bottom side of the rail segment 211 of the corresponding one of the side frames 21. For each armrest member 41, the armrest portion 412 is configured to have a length much longer than that of the extending portion 413, such that the weight of the armrest portion 412 is heavier than the total weight of the extending portion 413 and the abutment portion 414.

In use, the backrest unit 3 and the armrest unit 4 can be operated independently. For each of the armrest members 41, when at the unfolded position as illustrated in FIG. 3, the abutment portion 414 of the armrest member 41 abuts against the bottom side of the rail segment 211 of the corresponding side frame 21 at a position behind the corresponding pivot rod 42 and the corresponding screw 44. Since the weight of the armrest portion 412 is heavier than the total weight of the extending portion 413 and the abutment portion 414, the armrest portion 412 has a tendency to pivot downwardly about the corresponding pivot rod 42 while the extending and abutment portions 413, 414 have a tendency to pivot upwardly about the corresponding pivot rod 42. However, as a result of the abovementioned abutment of the abutment portion 414 against the corresponding side frame 21, the abutment portion 414 is blocked from moving upwardly, so that the armrest member 41 is maintained at the unfolded position. After use, by simply rotating the armrest member 41 about the corresponding pivot rod 42 in a rotational direction 9 (see FIG. 6), the armrest member 41 can be changed to the folded position as illustrated in FIG. 6. At this time, the abutment portion 414 of the armrest member 41 abuts against the bottom side of the rail segment 211 of the corresponding side frame 21 at a position in front of the corresponding pivot rod 42 and the corresponding screw 44. At the folded position, the armrest portion 412 has a tendency to pivot downwardly about the corresponding pivot rod 42 while the extending and abutment portions 413, 414 have a tendency to pivot upwardly about the corresponding pivot rod 42. Since the abutment portion 414 is blocked by the rail segment 211 of the corresponding side frame from moving upwardly, the armrest member 41 is maintained at the folded position. Then, the armrest member 41 can be easily rotated in a reverse rotational direction opposite to the rotational direction 9 so as to be restored to the unfolded position for use.

As further shown in FIG. 1, since each armrest member 41 is formed as a unitary member, it has a simpler structure than that of each armrest member 131 of the prior art which consists of the supporting rods 132, the top rod 133, and the block seats 134. Moreover, by employing the pivot rods 42, the washers 43, and the screws 44, the armrest members 41 can be coupled pivotally to the side frames 21 with relative ease, which results in a lower manufacturing cost than that of the prior art.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second preferred embodiment of the foldable leisure chair according to the present invention has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment resides in the configuration of the armrest unit 4. In this embodiment, each of the armrest members 41 is formed as a Y-shaped rod. The armrest portion 412 of each of the armrest members 41 extends forwardly and upwardly from the end of the pivot portion 411 of the corresponding one of the armrest members 41 when the corresponding one of the armrest members 41 is at the unfolded position (see FIG. 7). The extending portion 413 of each of the armrest members 41 extends rearwardly and downwardly from the opposite end of the pivot portion 411 of the corresponding one of the armrest members 41 when the corresponding one of the armrest members 41 is at the unfolded position so as to be configured as a prong of the Y-shaped rod. Each of the armrest members 41 further has a branch rod 416 interconnecting the pivot portion 411 and the sleeve 415 of the corresponding one of the armrest members 41, and configured as another prong of the Y-shaped rod. The armrest unit 4 further includes a connecting rod 45 disposed under the rail segments 211 of the side frames 21 and interconnecting the abutment portions 414 of the armrest members 41. The armrest portions 411 of the armrest members 41 have a total weight heavier than that of the extending portions 413 and the abutment portions 414 of the armrest members 41 and the connecting rod 45, so that the armrest members 41 can be maintained at the unfolded or folded position after position adjustment. It should be noted that the connecting rod 45 may be omitted in other embodiments of this invention.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A foldable leisure chair comprising: a seat unit including a pair of side frames that are spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction; a backrest unit connected to said side frames of said seat unit; and an armrest unit including a pair of armrest members that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, a left one of said armrest members being connected to a left side of a left one of said side frames and being pivotable relative to said left one of said side frames about an axis that is transverse to said left one of said side frames, a right one of said armrest members being connected to a right side of a right one of said side frames and being pivotable relative to said right one of said side frames about the axis, each of said armrest members having a pivot portion that is connected pivotally to a corresponding one of said side frames, an armrest portion that extends from an end of said pivot portion, an extending portion that extends from an opposite end of said pivot portion, and an abutment portion that extends from said extending portion in a direction parallel to the axis, and that abuts removably against a bottom side of the corresponding one of said side frames; wherein each of said armrest members is pivotable about the axis relative to the corresponding one of said side frames between an unfolded position, where said armrest portion thereof is held in front of said extending and abutment portions and is away from the corresponding one of said side frames, and a folded position, where said armrest portion thereof is held behind said extending and abutment portions and is close to the corresponding one of said side frames.
 2. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein: each of said armrest members further has a sleeve connected fixedly to said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members, extending along the axis, and having inner and outer open ends that are proximate to and distal from a corresponding one of said side frames, respectively; and said armrest unit further includes a pair of pivot rods extending respectively from said side frames along the axis, and extending respectively into said sleeves of said armrest members, so that said armrest members are pivotable respectively about said pivot rods, a pair of washers abutting respectively against said outer open ends of said sleeves, and a pair of screws extending respectively through said washers and engaging threadedly and respectively said pivot rods.
 3. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein said armrest portion of each of said armrest members has a weight heavier than a total weight of said extending portion and said abutment portion of a corresponding one of said armrest members.
 4. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 3, wherein: each of said armrest members is generally S-shaped; said armrest portion of each of said armrest members has an intermediate segment that extends upwardly and forwardly from said end of said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members, and a distal segment that extends horizontally from a distal end of said intermediate segment when the corresponding one of said armrest members is at the unfolded position; said extending portion of each of said armrest members extends downwardly and rearwardly from said opposite end of said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members when the corresponding one of said armrest members is at the unfolded position; and said abutment portion of each of said armrest members extends from a distal end of said extending portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members in a direction parallel to the axis.
 5. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said armrest unit further includes a connecting rod disposed under said side frames and interconnecting said abutment portions of said armrest members; and said armrest portions of said armrest members have a total weight heavier than that of said extending portions and said abutment portions of said armrest members and said connecting rod.
 6. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 5, wherein: each of said armrest members is generally S-shaped; said armrest portion of each of said armrest members has an intermediate segment that extends upwardly and forwardly from said end of said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members, and a distal segment that extends horizontally from a distal end of said intermediate segment when the corresponding one of said armrest members is at the unfolded position; said extending portion of each of said armrest members extends downwardly and rearwardly from said opposite end of said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members when the corresponding one of said armrest members is at the unfolded position; and said abutment portion of each of said armrest members extends from a distal end of said extending portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members in a direction parallel to the axis.
 7. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 2, wherein said armrest portion of each of said armrest members has a weight heavier than a total weight of said extending portion and said abutment portion of a corresponding one of said armrest members.
 8. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 7, wherein: each of said armrest members is formed as a Y-shaped rod; said armrest portion of each of said armrest members extends forwardly and upwardly from said end of said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members when the corresponding one of said armrest members is at the unfolded position; said extending portion of each of said armrest members extends rearwardly and downwardly from said opposite end of said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members when the corresponding one of said armrest members is at the unfolded position so as to be configured as a prong of said Y-shaped rod; and each of said armrest members further has a branch rod interconnecting said pivot portion and said sleeve of the corresponding one of said armrest members, and configured as another prong of said Y-shaped rod.
 9. The chair as claimed in claim 2, wherein: said armrest unit further includes a connecting rod disposed under said side frames and interconnecting said abutment portions of said armrest members; and said armrest portions of said armrest members have a total weight heavier than that of said extending portions and said abutment portions of said armrest members and said connecting rod.
 10. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 9, wherein: each of said armrest members is formed as a Y-shaped rod; said armrest portion of each of said armrest members extends forwardly and upwardly from said end of said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members when the corresponding one of said armrest members is at the unfolded position; said extending portion of each of said armrest members extends rearwardly and downwardly from said opposite end of said pivot portion of the corresponding one of said armrest members when the corresponding one of said armrest members is at the unfolded position so as to be configured as a prong of said Y-shaped rod; and each of said armrest members further has a branch rod interconnecting said pivot portion and said sleeve of the corresponding one of said armrest members, and configured as another prong of said Y-shaped rod.
 11. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said side frames has a rail segment, a front leg segment extending forwardly and downwardly from a front end of said rail segment, and a rear leg segment extending rearwardly and downwardly from a rear end of said rail segment, said abutment portion of each of said armrest members abutting against a bottom side of said rail segment of the corresponding one of said side frames.
 12. The foldable leisure chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said seat unit further includes a seat member disposed between said side frames; and said backrest unit includes a backrest frame disposed behind said seat member and having left and right sides that are connected respectively to said side frames, a backrest member mounted on said backrest frame, a pivot shaft unit connecting pivotally said left and right sides of said backrest frame to said side frames, respectively, and a support mechanism disposed between said backrest frame and said side frames for maintaining said backrest frame at a desired tilt position relative to said side frames. 